Author: Steve Thanos
According to the BJCP, British Brown Ale is “a malty, caramelly, brown British ale without the roasted flavors of a Porter.” Indeed, most modern brewers of this style rely on advanced gear including stainless steel fermentation vessels, which allows the aforementioned characteristics to take the forefront. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Up until the mid-20th century, nearly all British beer was fermented, stored, and transported in oak casks, and while some treated them with pitch to seal the porous wood, other didn’t, which allowed for some level of flavor transfer. While less common these days, some brewers enjoy a bit of oak character in certain styles, which is typically accomplished through the use of products such as oak cubes, chips, and spirals. However, a new product called Soluble Oak promises make this process as easy as pitching yeast while affording greater consistency of results.
Marketed as “a concentrated oak extract designed to replicate the flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel of traditional barrel aging without the need for full oak barrels,” I was stoked when the folks from Soluble Oak offered to send me some of this newfangled product for testing. I’d been hankering for a nice British Brown Ale and, considering its history, thought it a fitting style for this xBmt.
| PURPOSE |
To evaluate the differences between a British Brown Ale dosed with Soluble Oak and one made with an oak spiral.
| METHODS |
I went with a simple British Brown Ale recipe for this xBmt in hopes any differences between the beers would be perceptible.
Suspended In My Masquerade
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 60 min | 22.3 | 24.5 SRM | 1.056 | 1.017 | 5.12 % |
| Actuals | 1.056 | 1.017 | 5.12 % | |||
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Ye Olde Pale Ale | 7.5 lbs | 75 |
| Munich | 1 lbs | 10 |
| Biscuit | 8 oz | 5 |
| Caramel Malt 80L | 8 oz | 5 |
| Chocolate | 8 oz | 5 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cashmere | 14 g | 60 min | Boil | Pellet | 7.9 |
| Cashmere | 28 g | 10 min | Boil | Pellet | 7.9 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pub (A09) | Imperial Yeast | 74% | 32°F - 32°F |
Notes
| Water Profile: Ca 36 | Mg 12 | Na 9 | SO4 27 | Cl 17 |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
After collecting two sets of water and lighting the flame to get them heating up, I weighed out and milled the grains.
Once the water for each batch was adequately heated, I incorporated the grains then checked to make sure both were at the same target mash temperature.
While the mashes were resting, I prepared the kettle hop additions.
Once each 60 minute mash was complete, I removed the grains then boiled the worts for 60 minutes before chilling them and taking refractometer readings showing they hit a slightly higher OG than expected, but nothing I was worried about.
The filled carboys were placed in my chamber and left to finish chilling to my desired fermentation temperature of 68°F/20°C for a few hours before I pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast A09 Pub into each.
With signs of activity absent after 2 weeks, I took hydrometer measurements showing both were at the same expected FG.
At this point, I added the Soluble Oak to one batch while the other received an oak spiral.
The the beers were left alone for a week before I proceeded with transferring them to CO2 purged kegs and placing them on gas in my keezer. After a couple weeks of conditioning, they were carbonated and ready to serve to tasters.
| RESULTS |
A total of 26 people of varying levels of experience participated in this xBmt. Each participant was served 1 sample of the beer dosed with Soluble Oak and 2 samples of the beer made with an oak spiral in different colored opaque cups then asked to identify the unique sample. In order to reach statistical significance, 14 tasters (p<0.05) would have had to accurately identify the unique sample, which is precisely the number that did (p=0.025), indicating participants in this xBmt were able to reliably distinguish a British Brown Ale dosed with Soluble Oak from one that was made with an oak spiral.
The 14 participants who made the accurate selection on the triangle test were instructed to complete a brief preference survey comparing only the beers that were different. In the end, 7 tasters reported preferring the beer dosed with Soluble Oak, 6 liked the oak spiral beer more, and 1 had no preference despite noticing a difference.
My Impressions: Out of the 5 semi-blind triangle tests I attempted, I correctly identified the odd-beer-out 4 times. I perceived the beer made with Soluble Oak as having a subtle yet pleasant woody sweetness that was absent in the oak spiral beer. While both beers were enjoyable, I preferred the one made with Soluble Oak.
| DISCUSSION |
Historically, nearly all beer was fermented and stored in wood barrels, which often led to perceptible wood character that was standard prior to the advent of stainless steel gear in the century or so. Nowadays, those seeking to impart such flavors often turn to products that are just smaller versions of actual wood, like oak spirals, but Soluble Oak is a new flowable product that gets added to beer post-fermentation. Tasters in this xBmt were able to reliably distinguish a British Brown Ale dosed with Soluble Oak from the same beer that was made with an oak spiral.
According to the information on Soluble Oak’s website, this product is made from 100% oak, which likely explains why it imparted such a genuine oak character to the beer such that several tasters couldn’t tell them apart. It’s possible the amount of time the oak spiral was in contact with the beer played a role in these results, though 7 days is fairly standard for this type of wood.
I know wood beers aren’t for everybody, but I love them, and I was beyond pleased not only with the wood character Soluble Oak contributed to this British Brown Ale, but with the experience of using it. What I appreciated most was that, rather than tossing actual wood into my beer and regularly monitoring the wood character, I simply added a specific amount of Soluble Oak when fermentation was complete and, boom, it was ready to go. I absolutely plan to use this product more in the future, and I look forward to seeing how it compares to other more common oak products.
If you have any thoughts about this xBmt, please do not hesitate to share in the comments section below!
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6 thoughts on “exBEERiment | Brewing With Wood: Soluble Oak vs. Oak Spiral In A British Brown Ale”
What volume of Soluble Oak did you add to the beer?
I think there are one or more sentences missing in the middle of your opening paragraph. You reference “aforementioned characteristics” that are not at all mentioned. (at least not any that have anything to do with oak vs. stainless fermenting/conditioning.)
As you noted, I too think the time on the spirals, and/or the number of spirals played a role. Soluble Oak should have provided some reference for how their product compares to test the equivalent properly.
I find it interesting that nearly half of those who detected a difference prefer the spirals. (but not surprised) I’d be curious to know the previous exposure/experience level of those tasters with oaked products, both beer & whiskey/Bourbon. (that is, did they have reference points to draw on or do they not generally drink oaked beverages?)
There is scant info on the Soluble Oak website as to what they are doing. Are chemicals involved? Is the end product tested for residue? Their website says they are FDA Registered, but that just provides nexus for inspections. That doesn’t mean their extract/additive (which will be imbibed) is ‘FDA Approved’. Yes, wood that makes contact is likely not regulated or GRAS, but we don’t literally ingest that wood when drinking a beer. This product is different, and I’m not keen on drinking it.
They are long on the ‘why’ which is quite dubious and most of their reasons are easily debunked or dismissed, i.e., —there is no waste of the trees, every part is used somewhere for something; forests are already managed properly, it is a crop after all; the lack of deep penetration of spirits into barrel staves is a feature, not a bug, etc. As for cost, yes a whole barrel is expensive, but homebrewers have lower cost options including smaller foeders, chips (used barrels are chopped up and repurposed), cubes, dominoes and fresh spirals. Soluble Oak misses the point of why brewers prefer used barrels/chips: imparting notes from the absorbed alcohol into their beer. Fresh spirals, and their liquid extract can’t do that.
The price is also quite high. Brewers can get a large variety of wood from online shops like MoreBeer for as little as a few bucks/ounce or under $10/pound. They also have the option of mixing and matching woods, toast levels, et cetera to play with and achieve a desired flavor profile. Soluble Oak is a one-and-done no options, and quite pricey to boot.
Perhaps some spirits makers will use this product, but it can’t be used for Bourbon due to strict production spec laws. (only New American White Oak barrels can be used for initial aging) This seems to be a novelty product that is going to have a hard time getting to a positive ROI for the company.
I’ll pass, but thanks for the comparison.
Did you use the American or French oak? Whole bottle?
Damn that stuff is pricey.
Soluble Oak Response:
Soluble Oak is concentrated, so the dosage can be adjusted to suit the beer and the desired result. Lighter beers typically require less because the oak does not have to compete with big flavors to be noticed.
Adrien, you raise several fair questions, and your comments show that we need to provide more detailed technical information on our website. Soluble Oak is made from white oak using food-grade, GRAS processing ingredients. It contains no artificial oak flavoring, sweeteners, or added coloring. Our guiding principle is “Oak + Nothing.” The goal is to present the natural character and complexity of white oak without artificial flavors or unnecessary additions—allowing the oak itself to come through cleanly and authentically. We also recognize that FDA registration is not the same as FDA approval, and we are careful not to confuse those terms.
The process was developed and tested over four years with the involvement of two highly qualified scientists, and a patent application has been filed. White oak contains a remarkably complex range of compounds, and previous attempts to extract them have often struggled to deliver an authentic oak profile. That history, Understandably, makes some people cautious about a new product.
Soluble Oak is not intended to reproduce every characteristic of aging beer in a previously used bourbon, wine, or spirit barrel. A used barrel may contribute flavors from the liquid it previously held, which is a separate and valuable benefit. Soluble Oak is designed to give brewers a fast, repeatable, and controllable way to adjust oak character and mouthfeel without adding solid wood and repeatedly monitoring the beer.
It is also not limited to one fixed profile. The dosage can be fine-tuned, and different oak origins and toast profiles are available.
Regarding equivalency between the oak spiral and Soluble Oak, this was Brülosophy’s independent experiment. The results were interesting: tasters were able to reliably distinguish the two beers, while preference was nearly evenly divided. That does not necessarily mean one method is better than the other. Rather, they produce different results and give brewers different tools.
Thank you again to Steve and everyone who participated in the tasting. We appreciate the questions and feedback, and we will continue improving the ingredient, testing, dosing, and product information available on our website.
Cal Larson
Soluble Oak
Super intriguing. I love a good oakey beer and am down to try this. Thinking a Fullers ESB clone with some woody notes? An imperial stout would be a good candidate too.
My only reservation is do I want 5 gallons of it. I have a 2 gallon mini keg, are there directions to scale the amount of additive for smaller batches? Maybe brew a 7 gallon batch, and make 2 gallons of the oak version and 5 of the standard? Side by side testing would be a fun project.
Well you did establish that it’s quicker to impart an oaky flavour using the extract, compared to chips or spirals. I normally give mine an extra month in the fermenter on chips. I imagine it will also be more consistent / easier to dose for the desired amount of flavour.